Friday Morning Keynote:
Ruth N. López Turley, PhD
Professor of Sociology Director, Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University
Ruth N. López Turley is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, which brings together data, research, engagement, and action to improve lives. In 2011, she founded the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC), a research-practice partnership between Rice University and eleven Houston area school districts, representing over 700,000 students. A program of the Kinder Institute, HERC works to improve educational equity by connecting research to policy and practice, working directly with district leaders. She directed HERC from 2011 to 2022, during which she raised over $30M so that school districts would not have to pay for research. She also founded the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships, which connects and supports over 60 partnerships between research institutions and education agencies throughout the country. In 2022, President Biden appointed her to the National Board for Education Sciences, which advises and approves priorities for the research arm of the US Department of Education. She is a graduate of Stanford and Harvard and is originally from Laredo, Texas.
Her keynote address is titled “Improving Lives Through Community-Engaged Research”
Friday Lunch Plenary: Non-Profit Leader Panel
Sponsored by
Our Friday Lunch Plenary will be a panel devoted to the intersections between higher education and non-profits for civic initiatives. We will hear from a collection of Houston’s top non-profit professionals discussing how their partnerships with higher education have impacted their missions. We look forward to a thoughtful and deep dive into successes, paths to improvement these leaders see in the intersection of higher education and non-profit initiatives. The panel will be moderated by the Houston Food Bank’s President, Brian Greene. Take a look at our panelists below!
The plenary is sponsored by the UHD Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management program. The program was created by UHD faculty in close collaboration with leaders from some of Houston’s most prominent nonprofit organizations.
Moderator: Brian Greene President/CEO, Houston Food Bank (pictured above)
Reverend Dr. Mark Brown
Chief Executive Officer of West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM)
The Reverend Dr. Mark Brown has served as the Chief Executive Officer of West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM) since 2017. Prior to his role at WHAM, he held senior executive positions at several national non-profit organizations.
In addition to his extensive non-profit leadership, Dr. Brown is also an ordained Episcopal Priest and a Texas Master Peace Officer. His work is informed by his doctorate from Baylor University, which focused on non-profit organizational change.”
Ronnie Hagerty, Ph.D.,CFRE
Assistant Vice President, Community Relations, United Way of Greater Houston
Ronnie Hagerty oversees the United Way of Greater Houston’s Nonprofit Connection, a professional and leadership development practice serving area nonprofit organizations, and United Way Project Blueprint, a program that prepares members of Houston’s multicultural communities for nonprofit board leadership. In addition, she coordinates the annual Power Tools for Nonprofits Conference underwritten by CenterPoint Energy.
Hagerty serves on the boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Greater Houston Chapter and The Rose. She has been appointed by the Governor of Texas to serve as board chair for the OneStar Foundation National Service Commission. She serves on the advisory committees of Career Gear, Higher Up Texas and the University of Houston Downtown Master of Nonprofit Management. She holds professional credentials as a Certified Fundraising Executive/CFRE and a Certified Nonprofit Professional/CNP.
She is an adjunct professor at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University and has been a lecturer at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Hagerty earned her bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College/Notre Dame, master’s degree in business administration from the University of Houston, and doctoral degree in leadership and change from Antioch University.
Dr. Robert Sanborn
President & CEO, CHILDREN AT RISK
Dr. Sanborn is a noted leader, advocate, and activist for education and children and the President and CEO of CHILDREN AT RISK. Dr. Sanborn earned his undergraduate degree at Florida State University and his doctorate at Columbia University in New York City. Before entering the non-profit sector, he had a distinguished career in higher education at institutions such as Rice University and Hampshire College. He has worked and served as a senior leader with many organizations, always bringing with him a focus on innovation, collaborations with like-minded groups, resource developing partnerships, and a belief that all children deserve extraordinary opportunities to succeed.
Under his leadership, CHILDREN AT RISK has expanded its influence considerably. Notable achievements include opening up centers in Dallas and Fort Worth; launching the Public Policy & Law Center, the CHILDREN AT RISK Institute, the Center for Parenting and Family Well-Being, the Center to End Trafficking and Exploitation of Children and the Center for New American Children; directing significantly increased media attention to the issues championed by the organization; and increasing the organizational capacity to drive macro-level change to improve the lives of Texas’ most defenseless children. Sanborn is the Executive Editor of two peer reviewed, open access academic journals, the Journal of Applied Research on Children and the Journal of Family Strengths. He continues to work to end poverty at a systematic level through advocacy with community organizations and an increased awareness among public officials and the media.
Friday Reception: Houston Origins with Jaime
As part of the Friday night reception, Jaime González, Executive Director of the University of Houston’s Institute for Ecological Resilience, will give an engaging talk on the origins of Houston, beginning at the city’s founding location – Buffalo Bayou. The presentation will feature interactive installations and explore the roots of Houston’s dynamic human and ecological communities, as well as how land and development have shaped the city’s history and civic life.
Saturday Brunch Plenary: For-Profit Leader Panel
Our Saturday Breakfast Plenary will be a panel that will mirror the panel for the previous day devoted this time to the intersections between higher education and for-profit civic initiatives.
We will hear from a collection of Houston’s industry leaders discussing often overlooked intersections between higher education and their industries, in addition to exploring new ideas of how things like service-learning could gain ground in their sector.
The panel will be moderated by the Director of Mauldin & Jenkins, Gilbert Herrera (photo to the left, bio in hyperlink). More information on our for-profit panelists is included below.
Melanie Diaz
Partner Boston Consulting Group
Melanie Diaz is a Partner in BCG’s Houston office. She is a leader in the People and Organization Practice (POP), with a focus on Talent & Skills. Melanie has worked primarily in the healthcare and higher education industries, helping clients design better career architectures, collaborative operating models, and technology-enabled ways of working that make the most of their talent
Her work in social impact has spanned national foundations, higher education institutions, and local non-profits. She also leads BCG’s partnership with Upskill Houston, focused on creating and talent and economic mobility pipelines into and beyond entry level positions
Melanie holds a Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor in Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin
Alicia Dixon
Director of Community Relations for CenterPoint Energy
A 35-year CenterPoint Energy and predecessor company employee, Alicia is responsible for the company’s Foundation and community relations functions and oversees implementation of enterprise-wide community relations strategies, campaigns, programs and activities. Since the creation of CenterPoint Energy, she has provided strategic communication guidance to the company’s senior leadership team as it relates to employee communication and external stakeholder management. Alicia has also had varying levels of responsibility in the communications functions including crisis communications, media relations, regulatory communications, internal communications and sponsorships.
Alicia received a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Baylor University.
Alex Obregon
Regional Vice President of Finance & Business Operations and Chief Financial Officer of Comcast Texas
Alexander Obregon is the Regional Vice President of Finance & Business Operations, serving as the Chief Financial Officer for Comcast Texas. In his current role, Obregon is responsible for Comcast Texas’s financial planning and reporting, capital management, business assurance, and the project management office. He also leads the business operations functions of supply chain, fleet, real estate, and facilities.
Prior to his appointment, Obregon served as Deputy City Controller for the City of Houston and Chief Operating Officer for the Office of the City Controller. In these roles, he was responsible for overseeing the City’s $5.1 billion budget, managing the Office’s day-to-day financial operations, and providing leadership on policy and financial matters.
Before his role with the City of Houston, Obregon was part of Deloitte’s financial advisory services practice, where he worked as a valuation consultant. He provided Fortune 500 clients with valuations for mergers and acquisitions, equity interests, government derivatives, intangible assets, impairment of long-lived assets, goodwill impairment studies, and consultation services for tax compliance and financial reporting.
Alexander earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in psychology and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a focus on finance from the University of Houston (UH), where he was a Global Energy Management Institute scholar. He is an adjunct professor of public finance at the Hobby School of Public Affairs at UH. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Houston Area Urban League, Greater Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation, University of Houston Alumni Association Foundation, Hobby School of Public Affairs, Houston Haven, and the Advocates of a Latino Museum of Cultural and Visual Arts & Archive Complex in Houston.
Obregon has been named one of Houston’s “Global Leaders of Influence” by the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston, a “40 Under 40” by the Houston Business Journal, one of 28 national public finance “Rising Stars” by The Bond Buyer, and was awarded the “Rising Star Award for Achievement” by the UH Alumni Association, one of the highest honors bestowed by the university.
Alex started his career as a loan officer in the mortgage lending industry. He currently resides in Houston with his wife and two children.